Young, smart, homeless and bewildered

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Young father and qualified mechanic Thomas McCarthy does not include himself within what he perceives to be the public stereotype of homelessness. “People think you are dirty and grubby, but it’s not like that. Look at me,” he says, gesturing at his pristine T-shirt and jeans. “I dress smartly. I don’t have a big, bushy beard.”

The 22-year-old is part of a new generation of homeless, made so by the recession. Despite winning national accolades at college he has been unable to find work in a market where employers “only want to hire 16 or 17-year-olds and pay them buttons”.